


I've Seen It All

by tacomuerte



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, And I am so bad at fluff, But drama and some angst?, Exploration of alienation and isolation and connection, F/F, Fluff, I'm decent with those
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-03 10:04:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8708269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tacomuerte/pseuds/tacomuerte
Summary: A new (and rather grumpy) customer catches Kara's eye.Title is from "I've Seen It All" by Bjork ft. Thom Yorke





	1. Chapter 1

“Green Eye for Linda!” Kara called out as she sat the coffee drink on the counter, hoping whoever had ordered it knew what they were doing. A “green eye” was regular drip coffee with a triple-shot of espresso, meaning someone obviously needed a jolt to wake up this morning.

“Lena,” came the terse response. “Not Linda.”

Kara knew the cup had definitely been marked for “Linda,” but it wouldn’t be the first or last time Mike screwed up a name on an order. Usually on purpose.

Kara glanced up from her station, where she was steaming milk for the next order, with an apology forming on her lips, but the apology never came. Her glance became a longer look at the woman picking up the coffee. There was something immediately striking about her. Despite being petite, the brunette had a commanding presence that Kara picked up on immediately, and that presence was not diminished in the least by the large, dark sunglasses she wore despite the grey, overcast Boston morning or her rumpled Harvard sweatshirt.

The woman was too young to be a professor and locals avoided wearing university-branded clothes at all costs, so Kara surmised that Lena-not-Linda could only be a student. While it wasn’t a surprise in any way to see a student in Cat’s Coffee, they made up a minority of the usual clientele. Most students preferred the safe, standardized Starbucks half a block away. The regulars mainly consisted of faculty and younger locals who worked in the area.

Lena-Not-Linda noticed Kara’s stare and raised one immaculately groomed eyebrow over the frame of her sunglasses as her lips quirked downward on the verge of a frown.

Kara felt herself blush slightly and turned her attention to the order she was working on.

“Sorry,” she said, receiving what she optimistically decided was a noncommittal grunt in response.

Deciding not to push her luck, she kept her eyes focused on her work for the next half hour until it was time for her break and a chance to enjoy her signature custom drink, a latte blended with extra vanilla and extra caramel syrup and topped with whipped cream and cocoa powder.

Unfortunately, all the tables were occupied, and the weather had turned from dark, overcast skies to a cold, unrelenting heavy drizzle of rain. It wasn’t as if the cold and the rain affected Kara. Kryptonian DNA saw to that, but standing out in a downpour was slightly less appealing than taking her break in the official backroom break area, which was both loud due to the thin walls, and cluttered with all the junk she and her coworkers stored there during their shifts.

In fact, there was only a single empty seat in the entire café. Lena-not-Linda’s “Don’t Come Near Me” aura had proven effective in warding off anyone considering asking if they could share a table with her, not that Kara had been stealing glances trying to figure out what the woman’s deal was. Maybe the space the brunette had been afforded had something to do with the fact she still wore her sunglasses while typing away on her laptop, despite the low lighting of the café and the darkness outside.

Despite how common they seemed to be in movies and books, Kara was pretty sure Earth didn’t have actual vampires. Maybe one or two alien species she had encountered as a child could have done a passable imitation of the mythical creatures, but she doubted Lena-not-Linda was from Altair IV, considering her jet black hair. Natives of Altair had hair best described as the color of platinum. On the other hand, Lena-not-Linda did share a remarkably similar complexion with that alien species. Her skin was so pale and unblemished that Kara could easily believe the woman had never spent an hour in direct sunlight.

Shaking thoughts of Altairians out of her head, Kara decided she would see if Lena-not-Linda minded sharing space. Putting on her best smile—and her sister, Alex, had always said that Kara’s smile was a like a mixture of sunshine and puppies—Kara set out.

“This will be fine,” she muttered quietly. “Well, unless Lena-not-Linda hates sunshine and puppies.” 

Kara wove through the tables and people until she arrived at the empty chair.

“Um, mind if I share your table while I’m on break?” Kara asked cheerfully once she made her way over to the empty seat.

Lena-not-Linda let out a measured sigh and then shrugged, nodding her head. She did not stop typing.

Kara sat down and slid a straw into her drink, hoping she could find a way to not be too intrusive into Lena-not-Linda’s space. Kara took a sip of her drink, enjoying the caramel she had liberally dumped into it, and Lena-not-Linda looked up, not quite grimacing at the sound of Kara slurping. 

Kara froze mid-slurp.

Okay, maybe the woman did hate sunshine and puppies. Or maybe she was an actual Altairian on the downlow. The species was known for its brooding nature, and Lena-not-Linda did have the same creamy pale complexion as an Altairian… and Kara realized she was staring again wondering what Lena-not-Linda might look like with platinum hair or maybe as a blonde, and Kara thought it was perhaps a good idea to stop considering a random customer’s skin tone and hair color before the woman caught her staring. Again.

Which the woman had already noticed because of course she had. Lena-not-Linda’s head was raised from her computer screen, and she had quirked the exact same eyebrow again.

“Do I have something on my face, Kara?” the brunette asked.

“No, sorry again,” Kara responded, flushing. “I try to get to know people who come in just in case they become regulars so that I can prepare their drinks the way they like and say hi because people like it when their barista is friendly and says hi and I’m rambling so I’ll shut up now.”

For a beat, Lena-not-Linda watched Kara from behind the blackened lenses of her sunglasses. Kara could have used her X-Ray vision to look behind the sunglasses but felt that would be rude. Instead, she put the straw back in her mouth and took a long sip.

Lena-not-Linda slowly closed her laptop and sat up straight, folding her hands in front of her resting them on the now-closed computer.

“What are you doing?” Kara asked.

“We’re having a conversation,” Lena-not-Linda replied in a matter-of-fact tone. There was something about her voice—a hint of an accent Kara couldn’t quite nail down.

“We are?” she asked, feeling a bit hesitant and put on the spot.

“It appears so, yes,” Lena-not-Linda said, the edges of her mouth quirking again, but towards a smile this time instead of a frown.

“Oh,” Kara answered, wishing she had something clever to say. “Um… what do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know, Kara,” the brunette responded, now sporting a lazy smirk. “You’re the one determined to have a conversation.”

“Hey,” Kara exclaimed, feeling a bit offended. “I’m only trying to be friendly and—Wait a minute, how do you know my name?”

Lena-not-Linda grinned and pointed to the nametag pinned to Kara’s apron.

“Right,” Kara said, sighing. “I promise I’m not an idiot.”

“If I thought you were an idiot, Kara,” the woman replied. “I wouldn’t be talking to you.”

Kara smiled at that. 

“Okay, so… conversation. Is that your usual drink?” she asked, pointing to the other woman’s coffee.

Lena-not-Linda nodded. “It’s what I start my mornings with.”

“So you mean business with your coffee. Okay, I’ll start prepping that then when I see you come in… er… Do you intend to come in again?” Kara asked, hoping for a yes.

She wasn’t quite sure why she hoped for a positive answer, but she did nonetheless. Lena-not-Linda seemed smart and snarky, a lot like Kara’s sister, Alex, who despite attending MIT less than half a mile from the coffee shop where Kara worked was mostly absent from Kara’s life these days. She missed her adoptive sister, and it would be nice to have someone like Alex in her life again.

“I think so, Kara. The coffee is good, and the staff is **very** friendly,” Lena said, teasing.

“Well, I try—” Kara responded before Lena-not-Linda interrupted.

“Not just you, Kara. The guy that took my order was very… attentive.”

Kara frowned. “Mike. Yeah, he certainly is **attentive** when he wants to be.” 

She was surprised at the bitterness in her own voice. Mike threw himself at any attractive woman that crossed his path. Thankfully, he didn’t find Kara attractive because personally she found his behavior disgusting and disrespectful and had no desire to be subjected to it. It wasn’t as if he needed to so obviously slobber over women, either. The man was certainly attractive enough, in a skeevy sort of way.

Suddenly, Kara wondered if Lena-not-Linda was angling to find out if Mike was single, and a part of Kara really hoped that wasn’t what was happening.

The other woman laughed, deep and throaty, but there was a warmth to it that Kara found welcoming.

“Don’t worry, Kara,” Lena-not-Linda said, still grinning. “I won’t encroach on your territory.”

Kara had chosen a bad time to take another drink. Her eyes widened as she inhaled whip cream, caramel sauce, and coffee instead of swallowing. Kryptonians were immune to many things but accidentally trying to breathe liquids still caused a moment or three of blinding pain.

She became aware as she tried to cough out the offending liquid that her new friend was patting her on the back, rubbing small circles in an effort to comfort Kara while she choked on her drink. So much for that claim of not being an idiot.

Lena-not-Linda’s touch felt… nice, and certain things clicked into place for Kara. She would worry about that later, though. First, she needed to clear up any idea about Mike and her before the other woman got the very, very wrong idea.

“No!” she exclaimed, shaking her head and blinking back tears. “No. Mike and I? No, never.”

Lena-not-Linda gave her a final pat on the back and returned to her seat, slipping off her sunglasses for the first time since she had come into the coffee shop.

Kara’s breath caught at the sight of the purest green eyes she had ever seen and she felt warmth pooling in her stomach confirming the attraction she felt.

The sensation, as always, unsettled her slightly. She didn’t mind being attracted to someone. In fact, she enjoyed it just as any Earthling would. It was the notion of first approaching someone on a romantic level due to physical attraction that bothered her. Thousands and thousands of years of cultural tradition and custom dictated that physical need—especially same-sex physical need—should always be the last consideration in mating. Kara had been on Earth for nearly ten years, since she was eleven, and many aspects had rubbed off on her to a degree, but she had been raised Kryptonian and would always be Kryptonian at heart.

Kryptonians mated according to a complex matrix that included not only a full consideration of all genetic markers, but also of social standing, intellectual interests, family philosophies, and relative wealth. Once that decision had been made at the onset of adulthood, which was approximately age fourteen by Earth reckoning, by the District Science Council in conjunction with the family and the Planetary Science Council, then a five-year testing period began where the young man and woman determined if they were socially compatible. And at the end of that assuming things went well, and they almost always did since the Kryptonian matching matrix was both thorough and efficient, the woman was transferred into the man’s House in exchange for monetary or social benefits, and the mating was complete.

Kara had once—and **only** once—tried to explain the system to her adoptive family when they had The Talk with her after Billy Schumacher had asked her out in junior high, but it was too alien a concept for them, and they couldn’t get past the notion that this was somehow treating the woman as property. For Kara, it only meant the woman gave up one House’s name for another. It wasn’t as if her mother had been secondary to her father. She sat on the Planetary Science Council while he was a noted scientist, but still simply a scientist.

“Earth to Kara!” Lena-not-Linda said waving a hand in front of Kara’s face.

Kara blushed and looked into the jade eyes across from her. She noticed for the first time the dark rings around Lena-not-Linda’s eyes and felt a pang of worry. The brunette obviously wasn’t sleeping much. Probably studying, she thought.

“Sorry,” Kara replied, brushing aside her trivial curiosity about Lena-not-Linda’s sleep patterns. “Still getting used to the whole breathing thing.”

Kara hoped that came across as lighthearted and not panicked. Attraction was no cause for panic.

“I’m sure you’ll master it in no time,” the brunette said with another laugh.

Making Lena-not-Linda laugh felt good.

“Well, I should be heading to class and I’m guessing your break is about over?” she asked.

Kara looked out the window at the increasingly heavy rain and replied, “Are you sure you want to go out in this?”

“No, but class waits for no woman.”

“Well, I hope you come back soon, Lena-not-Linda,” Kara said winking and hoping that came across as charming and not silly.

“Don’t be so formal,” the brunette said with a smile as she pulled a purple umbrella out of her bag. “I’m only Lena-not-Linda to distant relatives and enemies. My friends should call me Lena.”

“Alright, Lena. There’s always a coffee with your name on it here assuming Mike gets the order right,” Kara said, standing as well and smiling.

“Lena to her friends”—among which Kara hoped to count herself soon—chuckled as she walked past Kara and towards the door where the rain awaited her.

Lena’s perfume was a combination of citrus and spice, and Kara closed her eyes to better remember the scent. When she opened them, Lena was already walking determinedly through the gusting rain.

“I definitely hope you come back soon, Lena-not-Linda,” Kara said quietly to herself before practically skipping back to her station with a grin on her face, a grin she kept during her entire shift and the rest of her day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time, I promised myself I would never write a coffee shop au. I've never felt I could do one justice, and sometimes I like to give myself arbitrary challenges as a way to enforce creativity in my writing.
> 
> And now I've written a coffee shop au because these two have stolen my heart, and I found myself typing this up in about two hours in the middle of a lunch break from my other projects.
> 
> As of now, this is a one-shot, but if people like it I very well might continue it. What's one more ongoing project in the middle of all my others?
> 
> Beta-read by the always wonderful asimaiyat who puts up with me throwing random stories at her far too often. Now back to writing Miraculous Ladybug and Gravity Falls fics!


	2. Chapter 2

As much as Kara would have liked to spend the rest of her shift inhabiting daydreams with Lena, it was a busy morning, and the regular flow of customers didn’t leave much time for her to be distracted by what she kept telling herself were inappropriate thoughts about someone she’d probably never even see again. 

Of course, her two coworkers on duty, Mike and Winn, tried their best to keep Lena as the singular topic of conversation whenever Kara was in earshot, and they repeatedly assured her that the brunette would come back as Kara fretted over the possibility this was a one-time stop for Lena. 

In a way, their teasing was sweet. At least, it was with Winn. He thought the two women looked adorable together, and Kara knew she could trust him to be his awkward-yet-charming self and try to sell Kara as the best thing since… since whatever brand new tech invention which had caught his eye that morning. 

Mike, on the other hand… Well, Kara tried to keep in mind that Mike had a good heart… more or less. After Lena had left, he had offered to record any encounter of a sexual nature between the two women “for the benefit of all mankind.” Kara’s contribution to that part of the conversation was to not punch Mike through a wall, but she knew his joke was intended as good-natured meaning Kara’s exasperation was only half-real. 

She always had to keep that in mind with Mike. After a rocky start, the two of them had become good friends, and afterward Mike confessed that he worried about her. When he had told her that, Kara had the impression of him as the incorrigible but secretly kind-hearted older brother on one of those sitcoms Kara had loved as a teen. 

Mike told her he thought Kara bottled up too much anger for her own good and needed someone to keep her on her toes, so she didn’t eventually melt down and completely snap. Considering how frustrated she had felt the past few months and how hard she worked to always maintain a positive face to the world, Kara privately admitted he had a point although she wasn’t quite sure to this day how he had seen through her smiles and her cheerful greetings and figured out how frustrated she really was with the state of her life.

It occurred to Kara as she sniped back and forth with Mike while Winn tried to keep the peace, that this job was the first time she had made real friends aside from Alex. She had spent most of high school and then her first two years of college making a lot of friendly, casual acquaintances, but never letting anyone get too close because she would put too many people in danger if her secrets were revealed. It was simply the reality of her situation. 

She had to admit she liked this feeling. She liked having real friends, and she liked the fact that she had now met someone she found incredibly attractive, even if it was a bit frightening to consider how drawn she felt to Lena after just meeting her.

Thinking about Lena again had sent Kara off into another round of lazily musing over the fact that she had never seen anyone with eyes as green as Lena’s, and that brought another round of playful mockery from her friends. This time the teasing included an offer to wingman for her, but Kara told them that under no circumstances were they to “help” with Lena, especially after Mike’s earlier cinematic suggestions.

The two boys agreed far too quickly and far too easily, and Kara didn’t buy it for a second.

That was something to worry about later, though, because soon enough, Kara’s shift was over, and she was standing outside, making small talk with Winn while waiting on Mike to “get his schedule for next week” from Eve, the assistant manager who had relieved Kara before the three friends went to lunch. 

If she had to guess, she would bet Mike and Eve were making out. Again. 

Hopefully, this didn’t involve sex in the breakroom. Again.

And no matter how long it took them to “work out the schedule,” Kara wasn’t going to risk walking in on them having sex in the breakroom. Again.

“Kara, you okay?” Winn asked.

“Hm?” Kara responded.

“I’ve asked three times if you want to invite your crush to trivia night,” Winn said, smiling.

“Lena,” Kara said, savoring the name as she said it. “Her name is Lena.”

Winn’s smile turned into a wide grin. “Every time you say her name, you sigh, and I can practically see the stars in your eyes.”

Kara lightly slapped him in the arm and said, “Shut up, you goof! I do not!”

Winn made a show of being wounded from her slap. Both he and Mike knew she was an alien. There had been an incident a few months ago where Kara had caught a rack of heavy supplies and prevented them from falling on top of the two of them. It wasn’t as if she could let them get crushed, but her cover had been well and truly blown at that point.

Winn had completely geeked out and had dozens of questions, and Kara had answered those she felt she could while putting off those she either couldn’t answer in order to protect Kal or because they were too painful to dwell on. Mike, on the other hand, had limited his very interested inquiries to whether Kara had enhanced levels of stamina and flexibility, and what the limits of those might be.

Needless to say, Kara didn’t answer those questions either.

In the end, the two were satisfied with the knowledge that their new friend was a superhuman alien, and Kara was satisfied that neither of them knew she was Kryptonian, let alone Superman’s cousin. Both had been very supportive of her afterward and cool with keeping her secret.

“Seriously, Kara,” Winn said after he stopped flailing around, pulling Kara out of her thoughts. “If she comes by tomorrow, I can very casually mention your love of trivia night at Noonan’s. Trust me. I can be smooth about it.” He capped off his offer by waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Kara laughed and started to say she didn’t need anyone to talk to Lena for her tomorrow, but then remembered that she had the next two days off.

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed. “I totally forgot I don’t work tomorrow!”

She heard Mike’s laughter behind her as he stepped out of the coffee shop. 

“Yeah, you got it bad, Kara,” he said, smirking. “That Linda girl has you all messed up if you don’t remember you’re free from this place for two whole days.”

Kara looked at the disheveled state of Mike’s uniform and raised an eyebrow, saying “For the last time, her name’s Lena.” 

He grinned at her proudly. 

“You’re ridiculous, Mike,” she said rolling her eyes. She knew the banter was an attempt to make her less nervous about Lena, and she was thankful for that. She decided their lunch would be on her today. “Okay, let’s get some food!”

“Potstickers?” both men asked simultaneously.

All three of them laughed. Kara’s love of the Chinese dumplings bordered on infamous.

Kara crossed her arms, pretending to be far more insulted than she was. “But they’re so good!”

Winn held up his hands as they began to walk towards the nearest Chinese restaurant saying, “Fine, fine.”

After a relaxing lunch, Kara excused herself and went home to clean. Alex was coming over tomorrow for movie night, and Kara wanted everything to be perfect. 

Things had been strained between them for the past few years. Kara knew that Alex resented her, and she wanted to make this better somehow. It was why she had moved to Boston after all. She needed to be nearer to Alex. 

Closing the physical distance, though, hadn’t closed the emotional distance. If anything, Kara moving here seemed to make it worse. Pushing those thoughts out of her head, Kara finished her laundry and watched a rom-com before going to bed. 

She went shopping for ice cream and snacks early the next morning and continued cleaning the apartment from top to bottom without using any enhanced speed or strength. This was how normal Earthlings did things, and she wanted to fit in with normal Earthlings. Admittedly, it had always been easier for her to feel normal when she and Alex were on good terms. Without her sister, Kara felt more alien than ever.

As she was putting the finishing touches to the apartment that night, Alex texted to cancel their plans. One of her friends was going through a rough breakup, and Alex and her circle of friends—and it occurred to Kara she had never been introduced to Alex’s circle of friends—wanted to take the girl out and cheer her up.

Kara felt a leaden sense of disappointment in her stomach. Alex had blown her off like this constantly over the past few months. The least she could have done was asked if Kara would have liked to tag along.

That was uncharitable, Kara thought scolding herself. Alex was trying to be there for a friend. What kind of sister was Kara if she didn’t understand that?

So she texted back that it was fine and asked if they could have brunch the next morning because she had some big news although she decided to leave out the specifics until she and Alex were face to face. Part of her felt hesitant to mention Lena, but maybe if Alex saw that Kara was interested in someone romantically like any normal Earthling, the two of them could find some common ground. Maybe Alex might even be happy for her. 

Alex had said that would be great, so Kara watched the movies she had rented and ate all the ice cream she had bought earlier by herself. She tried very hard not to feel upset that Alex didn’t want anything to do with her. She tried to not feel upset at her adoptive parents for more or less making Kara into Alex’s responsibility when they had been kids, creating this whole mess to start with, and even though she was alone in her apartment, she forced a happy smile onto her face because perhaps if she was cheerful on the outside, she would become cheerful on the inside as well.

Kara could not sleep that night, and although she tried to rationalize that even a Kryptonian might feel nauseous after all that ice cream, she knew the truth. She was alone. Her best friend wasn’t her best friend anymore, and there seemed nothing Kara tried could fix that relationship.

The next day found Kara waiting for Alex at the restaurant they both agreed served the best brunch in Cambridge. Kara was excited and since she hadn’t slept at all, it didn’t take her long to get ready. She had arrived a bit early and reserved a table. And so she waited… and waited… and waited, until finally Alex was an hour late and not answering texts or calls.

Kara closed her eyes hoping to ward off tears, but it wasn’t any use. Giving up on that, she tried to compose herself enough so she could leave with some small amount of dignity when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Turning her head, Kara found herself staring into jade green eyes that could only belong to one person. Lena looked down on Kara with open concern.

“Hey,” Lena said softly. “I thought I saw you through the window.”

Kara pulled off the glasses she didn’t really need and only wore to show Alex and Eliza that she really did want to fit in before dabbing at her eyes with her napkin to clear her tears.

“Sorry,” she said. “I… um…” Kara trailed off uncertain what to say.

“You look like you could use a friend. Is it okay if I sit with you?” Lena asked.

Kara nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She felt humiliated. Of all the times for her crush to bump into her randomly, it had to be when she felt like she had hit a breaking point with Alex, and that nothing would ever be right again.

Lena seemed to sense that Kara needed some space and sat quietly, giving Kara time to get a hold of herself.

When Kara thought she was able to speak without making a fool of herself, she cleared her throat and gave Lena a small smile.

“Sorry about that,” she said, quietly.

Lena shrugged. “We all have tough mornings. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. Yes,” Kara said. “I don’t know. I sort of do but part of me just… doesn’t.”

Lena’s smile was kind and Kara felt tingly inside, instantly feeling guilty that she was feeling any sort of happiness in this miserable situation. 

Kara took a moment to really look at Lena as she had been far too busy trying not to cry before. The brunette was more composed today than yesterday, switching out the wrinkled sweatshirt for a vivid green blouse that brought out her eyes. Her hair was pulled up into a braid, and she wore gorgeous silver earrings that Kara thought might cost more than the Danvers’ house.

“I’m a good listener,” Lena said, warmly. “If you want to talk, or if you don’t want to talk, we can eat brunch.” She seemed to be growing nervous as if she was intruding. “Or if you want to be alone, that’s fine too. I can leave if you want.”

“No, stay,” Kara said, glad for the company. “Can we… maybe take a walk or something?” 

She really needed to get out of here. People were staring, and she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t start crying again.

“Sure,” Lena said relieved, and the two of them retrieved their coats from the front of the restaurant and then they left.

Once they were outside in the brisk air, Kara regretted interrupting Lena’s morning.

“You don’t have to stay with me, Lena,” Kara said. “You must be busy—”

“Never too busy for a friend,” Lena interrupted. “Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

Kara blinked. Despite how miserable she felt over the Alex situation a part of her immediately felt light and airy. Lena wanted to be her friend.

“No, I’m glad you’re here,” Kara said, and they began to walk. 

“Did someone stand you up?” Lena prompted. “Sorry, I know that’s forward, but it’s hard to imagine someone like you being stood up.”

“My sister, Alex,” Kara answered, blushing. It was flattering of Lena to say that, but Kara didn’t feel like she was the kind of person anyone went to great lengths to not stand up. “Things aren’t… Honestly, things aren’t great between us right now.”

Lena put her hand on Kara’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Since I’m being honest,” Kara continued, looking into the distance. “Things haven’t been alright for a long time.”

“Did something happen between the two of you?” Lena asked as the two resumed walking.

“A lot of little things, or maybe they were big things to Alex, and I didn’t realize it. I think… I think she resents me,” Kara said. “I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. She didn’t always avoid me, but after the Danvers adopted me, I think Alex feels like she had to grow up really fast because of me.”

She waited for a response from Lena. When someone found out Kara was adopted, it usually elicited surprise or pity, but Lena just nodded like it was perfectly natural.

“And… um…” Kara fumbled. “I was really lost after my parents died, and I counted on her to get me through a lot of things, and her parents counted on her to get me through things, too.

“It’s just… I think that she saw me as her responsibility, and everything in her life had to revolve around me. And I felt… I don’t even know how to explain it.”

“You felt like it was your responsibility to always be okay with everything,” Lena supplied. “And you felt like the worse things got with your sister, the harder you had to try to fit into your new family and to show them how okay you were, and even if they didn’t mean to do it, your adoptive parents pressured your sister to make you feel better like it was her fault you felt bad in the first place.”

Kara stopped and stared at Lena. 

The brunette’s smile was now wistful and her eyes had a faraway look. “And part of you resents your sister because her parents weren’t the ones who died which makes you feel guilty because you love your sister, and you get how hard it had to be for her, too. 

“You felt angry that you lost your family and that makes you feel angry because you don’t feel you’re grateful enough to your adoptive family and that makes you feel angry because no one should feel grateful their family is dead.”

Lena paused and turned to face Kara. “Is that about right?”

Kara nodded and something inside her… clicked into place. Lena understood her. She understood Kara in a way that perhaps no one else ever had. There was only one explanation that made sense.

“Lena… are you adopted?” she asked, hoping this wasn’t a question that would offend her new friend.

Lena nodded, and a knot Kara didn’t realize was present in her stomach relaxed.

“Is that why you have an accent?” Kara continued.

The edges of Lena’s mouth turned up, nearly smiling. “I’m originally from Ireland. I’ve worked really hard to get rid of the accent.”

It was Kara’s turn to nod. “Because you want to fit in, and you feel like you can show your new family how much you care.”

Lena turned into a small park, and Kara followed. They continued in silence for a few minutes until they found a park bench and sat.

“I have a brother,” Lena said. “Not a sister. I know it’s not exactly the same, but…”

“But you get me,” Kara finished for Lena. “Or at least you get where I’m coming from.”

“I think so,” Lena answered as she kicked at a stray leaf lying on the well-worn path.

Kara looked at Lena and felt connection—a kind of connection she hadn’t felt since Alex had turned her back on her. Lena understood. At that moment, nothing else mattered because Lena understood. Kara felt less alone than she had in a very long time, specifically since the moment Alex had stormed out of the Danvers household saying she didn’t care if she ever saw her mother or Kara again. 

Now, Kara felt like there was someone who not only **could** understand her but **wanted** to understand her, and she could feel a desperate need to deepen any connection she might have with Lena. She didn’t want to go back to being so completely alone. 

Her desire intensified as thoughts of Krypton crept into her mind. She found herself believing the only thing that would have prevented a match fully approved by the Science Council’s matrix was the minor matter of not likely being able to produce children due to how difficult cloning Kryptonian DNA had proven to be when the donors were of the same sex. At the very least, Kara believed she and Lena could have successfully obtained a paramour’s license to conduct a formal affair while maintaining their respective House matings. 

Kara realized she would have made any sacrifice that any potential husband and the Council required if that was possible.

Lena was perfectly suited for mating. She was beautiful. She was in good health. There was obviously a disparity in wealth compared to Kara considering how obviously expensive Lena’s outfit and accessories were, not to mention her Harvard education, but that was a minor factor in the calculations as long as neither House objected. Besides, this was Earth. Did Kara even need to consider the matrix? As recently as a few years ago when things were better with Alex, Kara had felt safe in embracing Earth and its cultures. 

Now though, the thought of stripping away another part of her Kryptonian heritage sent a shudder of panic through her body. She had lost Alex—lost her best friend and strongest tie to Earth. If she didn’t have Alex, all she had left was the safety of her memories of Krypton, and so she fled back into the comforting thought that Lena would be a near-perfect match, especially now that as one of the last two survivors of Krypton, children could never be a possibility.

Suddenly, Kara realized that she was staring again and searched for something to say.

“I think your accent is pretty, Lena,” Kara offered, her mouth suddenly dry. She felt her face flush. That had seemed like a safe, neutral thing to say, but after hearing it out loud, the words sounded a bit too close to a line Mike might use for Kara’s liking. 

Lena tilted her head slightly and there was a knowing smile on her lips as she cut her eyes to look at Kara from where she had been watching people walk by. 

“Are you flirting with me, Kara?” she asked.

Kara nodded, feeling as if she wasn’t in control of her own body. “I think… I want to kiss you?” she said.

“Are you sure?” Lena asked, voice small. “I think you’re in a really vulnerable place right now.”

That was true, but the kindness and consideration in Lena’s words acted like a magnet on Kara, who scooted closer to Lena and said, “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I first saw you.” She was a bit terrified at how forward she was being, but she also had to admit she was a bit excited, too, feeling brave for once.

Lena’s smiled widened, and she turned to face Kara. “Then what’s stopping you?” she asked.

Kara’s heart started beating so rapidly she felt faint.

“You—” Kara began uncertainly, only to be interrupted by the brunette.

“I’m not stopping you, Kara,” Lena said, quietly, and leaned in towards Kara.

“I thought you were interested in Mike,” Kara whispered, feeling her own body leaning in as well and wondering again how someone’s eyes could possibly be that pure a shade of green.

“I don’t know who that is, Kara,” Lena answered, her eyes flicking to Kara’s lips and then back to her eyes.

Kara swallowed. “The other barista,” she said, stopping just an inch or so from Lena’s face. “At the register… yesterday.” 

She was now close enough that she was speaking at a whisper, and she could feel Lena’s warm breath on her cheek.

“Oh,” Lena said, still holding Kara’s gaze. Her expression was so serious that Kara felt mesmerized, unable to look away. “No, I thought maybe you and he…”

Kara closed the distance and gently placed her lips on Lena’s. The brunette’s mouth was warm and soft and inviting. She dragged her hand through Lena’s hair as the kiss deepened. Kara felt an ache inside her and oh Rao, could Lena kiss.

“No,” Kara said between breaths after they pulled apart. “There’s no Mike and me.”

Lena nodded. 

“Kara, I should have said something before we kissed…” she began before trailing off, looking troubled. 

Kara felt what could only be described as complete and utter terror. Her mind raced with competing scenarios of doom and despair. She was sure Lena was about to say this was all a mistake, that she was involved with someone else, that Kara was the worst kisser she had ever had the displeasure to encounter. 

Seeing the look of horror on Kara’s face, Lena hurriedly continued. 

“You haven’t done anything wrong, Kara!” Lena exclaimed, taking Kara’s hand and gripping tightly. “I’m just not… I’m not in a position where I can commit long-term is all. I don’t know if you’re okay with just dating. Honestly, I would love to go out with you. Actually, I would **really** love to go out with you, but if you need something more… that’s just not something I can give you right now.

“If that’s a deal breaker, I understand. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to be another source of pain for you.”

Now it was Lena’s turn to look at Kara apprehensively as she waited for an answer. 

Kara felt her stomach stop lurching, and she let go of a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. 

Actually, Kara remarked to herself that this was perfect. Sure, she might enjoy the idea of a of long-term relationship with Lena—even thinking about it made her feel giddy—but just casually dating seemed very Kryptonian to Kara as she could keep alive her astronomically remote chance of finding a male Kryptonian mate while dating Lena, and she could do all this without feeling any guilt over betraying her Kryptonian heritage.

In a way, Lena had thrown her a lifeline.

“No, that’s fine,” Kara said quickly, smiling. “That’s great. You might have noticed that I’ve got a lot going on emotionally right now.”

Lena laughed, and Kara decided she could make a life out of finding ways to make Lena smile and laugh.

“But just dating?” Kara continued. “I can do that. Sure.”

Lena leaned in and kissed Kara again. 

“I am so glad Gus retired,” Lena said, breaking away.

“Who’s Gus?” Kara asked, feeling somewhat dazed after that last kiss.

“The guy that owned the coffee shop where I used to hang out,” Lena answered.

Kara hummed happily and looked at Lena through hooded eyes. “Do you like trivia?” she asked. “A bunch of us go to Noonan’s every Tuesday for trivia night.”

For a moment, Lena happily regarded Kara before reaching out with a slightly chilly hand to cup Kara’s cheek.

“It’s a date,” Lena said, and Kara thought her heart might burst.

“Yes,” Kara replied. “It’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response pretty much demanded that I continue this. It's now on the slate!
> 
> I hope this is an enjoyable chapter. I wrote it in about 2-3 hours including editing, but I think it holds up. I'm going to delve into some pretty deep themes, especially alienation (Ha! A pun!) and isolation.
> 
> Don't worry! There's a happy ending for everyone in this story not named Lex Luthor or Lillian Luthor!


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